03/07/2026 Farming roadmap, food security, protecting soils

Ten years of the regenerative farming festival Groundswell - we talk to farmers who were at the first event about how it's changed the way the farm.Chris van Tulleken says farmers and doctors want the same thing, for people to want to buy more real, unprocessed food.What will the Government's new 25 year Farming Roadmap mean for farmers? We ask the Secretary of State.Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Ten years of the regenerative farming festival Groundswell - we talk to farmers who were at the first event about how it's changed the way the farm.Chris van Tulleken says farmers and doctors want the same thing, for people to want to buy more real, unprocessed food.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

We speak to the Environment Secretary about the government's new farming roadmap for England. It's 25 year plan and ministers say it'll give farmers the long-term clarity they need and access to the tools, technology,  skills and supply chains 'to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come.' We find out what farmers at the regenerative farming event Groundswell think of it, and discuss food security and global volatility. Experts argue that the UK can't have a 'business as usual' approach to growing food and food production should be a priority.All week we're talking about soil. Maize has become a controversial crop in recent years, in part because of its potential to cause soil erosion. In Devon, an on-farm trial is underway to grow maize interspersed with strips of mixed plants known as a 'living mulch', to protect the soil. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

A new code of practice for the controlled burning of moorland in Scotland, which was due to be published on 1st July is being delayed, amid protests from gamekeepers that it won't work. Muirburn, as the controlled burning is known, is used by many gamekeepers to manage sensitive moorland to enable habitat for grouse, for shooting on many estates. Gamekeepers say it also reduces the vegetative load, which helps prevent wildfires. The Muirburn Code has been drawn up after months of work with stakeholders, including gamekeepers and conservationists. The document's been overseen by NatureScot, Scotland's national environment agency, but The Scottish Gamekeepers Association says the draft code falls shortVery little rain, very high temperatures and a lot of sunshine means some farmers have started one of the earliest harvests many can remember - and the grain is so dry some farmers are talking about re-wetting it when it comes out of storage.All week we're talking about the most important part of growing anything - the soil. One way to improve it is to grow another shorter plant among the main cash crop, to keep the soil covered. We visit a farm in Northamptonshire which has been running extensive trials to see how inter cropping could benefit the soil.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The organic certification body, the Soil Association, is warning it may withdraw from the farmed salmon sector unless higher standards are met. The organisation says while current standards are being satisfied, that's not driving the improvments in the industry that they want to see. They cite high fish mortality, unacceptable levels of sea lice, and the use of harmful chemical treatments. The industry body says its salmon farmers are committed to the highest standards of fish welfare and environmental responsibility. As we take a closer look at soils all this week, today we meet two Sheffield university researchers who are investigating the properties of micorrhizal fungal networks, which bind together millions of micro organisms - the protection of which many see as the solution to soil health. And as the climate becomes more extreme, the management of water in farming will become more vital than ever. With this in mind, a pilot study has been taking place in Shropshire to assess how technology can help farmers pre-empt risks from flooding and drought. Scientists have even developed an app to give landowners a better idea of what they might face.Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

Calls for more government action to protect water supplies for farming.A series of workshops are taking place across Wales this year to collect hyper-local place names, particularly in rural areas.Later this week we'll be at Groundswell, the regenerative agriculture festival now in its 10th year. Regen ag puts an emphasis on soil, so this week here on Farming Today it's all about earth.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

This week farmers have coped with heavy thundery rain and record breaking temperatures. We hear from a pig farmer keeping his stock cool, a livestock auctioneer who's had to cancel sales due to the heat, and a major potato and beetroot grower contemplating an irrigation bill of £3 million this year. But for winemakers the sunshine has come at just the right moment.The Government has invested in strategic teams of specialist firefighters in England and South Wales to tackle wildfires. The Fire Chiefs Council's wildfire expert tells us the teams are trained in techniques to cope with a ferocity of fire becoming more common due to the effects of climate change. Despite all the Prime Ministerial flux the Government revealed its long term (and long awaited) vision for farming: England's Farming Roadmap 2050. The idea is to have a 25 year vision for agriculture, to give farmers certainty 'beyond the next harvest'. It was the brainchild of Steve Reed when he was secretary of state for the environment. Two years down the line, the current incumbent, Emma Reynolds announced the plan in the House of Commons this week.Aberdeen hosted the first Global Agritourism Conference this week. Anna Hill met some of the delegates to hear about farm tourism in India, Ukraine, Italy, and Canada.

Northern Ireland is 'largely' missing the targets in its own Environmental Improvement Plan. A report from the environment watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, says of 38 targets, just two are likely to be met and that ministers must now move from 'planning and strategies into delivery'. The heatwave isn't a problem for everyone - it's mostly welcome in vineyards. Some had a difficult spring with badly timed frosts, so winemakers are glad to see the sun at an opportune moment. We've been looking at the tourism businesses farmers have diversified into. There is a huge variety, everything from the familiar b&bs to off road experiences and walking with llamas. Today we visit a farm campsite.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

'The most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War'; that's the Government's claim for their Farming Roadmap which has just been released. We hear reaction to the long awaited 25 year vision for agriculture.The Climate Change Committee's annual report on the UK's greenhouse gas emissions says while agriculture is moving in the right direction, emissions aren't falling fast enough and adaptation is needed as well as mitigation. How farmers are coping with pigs in the heat.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton

Aberdeen is hosting the first global agritourism conference. It's the brainchild of Caroline Millar who runs an agritourism business from her family farm in Scotland. Delegates from around the world have been exploring how producers can make more money by opening up their farms to visitors.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney